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The    Christian    Intelligencer  [L 


July  4,  1906. 

Origin  of  the  Hymnody  of  the   Reformed 
Dutch  Church 

BY    JOHN    BODINE    THOMPSON,    D.D. 

'"FHE  Hebrew  Psalms  are  so  called  because  they  were 
*  sung  to  the  music  of  the  Psaltery.  The  Greek  trans- 
lators called  them  also  hymns  because  because  they  were 
sung  to  the  praise  of  Jehovah.  So  Augustine  defines  a 
hymn  as  "praise  to  God  with  song."  As  a  recent  writer 
puts  it,  "Hymn-singing  is  a  devotional  approach  to  God  in 
our  emotions." 

Three  facts  may  be  regarded  and  treated  as  axioms  of 
hymnody:  That  a  certain  specific  arrangement  of  tones 
with  specifically  differing  intervals  constitutes  a  musical 
scale,  that  expression  intensifies  emotion,  and  that  man 
becomes  like  the  being  he  worships.  Worship  is  the  ex- 
pression of  proper  emotion  toward  God ;  and  the  more 
nearly  complete  the  expression,  the  more  effective  and  ac- 
ceptable the  worship.  If  the  expression  be  in  both  the  lan- 
guage of  the  intellect  and  the  language  of  the  emotions,  in 
both  words  and  music,  development  Godward  is  thereby 
doubly  promoted. 

Words  give  expression  to  both  thought  and  feeling.  If 
they  be  rhythmically  arranged  they  constitute  poetry.  The 
rhythmical  expression  of  melodious  sounds  is  music.  Music 
can  suggest  thought,  but  cannot  express  it.  It  can,  how- 
ever, express  emotion  beyond  the  utmost  power  of  words 
to  utter.  It  is  only  when  emotion  has  curdled  into  thought 
that  it  can  find  even  partial  expression  in  words. 

As  music  is  superior,  on  the  one  hand,  to  poetry  with  re- 
gard to  emotion  generally,  so  is  it  superior,  on  the  other 
hand,  to  painting  with  regard  to  devotion  specially.  Paint- 
ing concerns  itself  chiefly  with  the  outer  world  of  sense; 
music  with  the  inner  world  of  spirit.  Painting  speaks  to 
us  through  the  eye ;  music  through  the  ear.  The  former 
can  promote  human  progress ;  the  latter,  personal  piety. 
"Faith  cometh  by  hearing." 


With  this  may  be  compared  the  teaching  of  Aristotle 
that  the  visible  is  a  sign  for  the  intellect;  but  the  audible 
produces  conformity  of  character.  This  is  not  to  disparage 
the  sense  of  sight  through  which  chiefly  luiowledge  enters 
into  the  soul,  but  to  indicate  simply  one  respect  in  which 
hearing  is  superior  to  it.  Painting  and  poetry  and  music 
all  develop  the  appreciation  of  the  beautiful.  Beauty  in- 
cludes three  elements/ and  the  predominance  of  one  or  the 

other  of  these  causes  it  to  be  called  either  physical  beauty, 
intellectual  beauty,  or  moral  beauty,  the  last  of  course 
being  superior  in  value  to  both  the  others.  So  the  prophet, 
extolling  Jehovah,  mentions  first  the  manifestations  of  his 
power  and  goodness  in  bringing  blessing  to  his  people 
and  then,  naming  the  chief  of  his  moral  perfections,  in- 
cludes all  his  perfections  in  the  culminating  clause  of  the 
rapturous  ejaculation: 

How  great  is  His  goodness, 
And  how  great  is  His  beauty ! 
God  is  the  sum  and  source  of  all  beauty,  and  He  has  given 
beauty  to  his  world  in  order  that  by  the  study  thereof  we 
may  in  this  respect  also  be  developed  toward  him. 

The  first  Christian  hymns  were  the  Hebrew  Psalms. 
They  were  sung  to  the  tunes  with  which  they  are  still 
printed,  "the  accents"  being  also  musical  notes.  Many  of 
these  tunes  were  at  first  popular  melodies,  as  the  titles  indi- 
cate, but  the  "Psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs"  of 
the  Colossians  and  Ephesians  and  Bithynians  must  have 
been  sung  to  Greek  music  with  its  many  modes  or  scales, 
each  expressing  its  own  peculiar  kind  of  emotion.  The 
Phrygian  mode  was  enthusiastic,  the  Ionian  gay,  the  Lydian 
sensuous,  and  the  Dorian  solemn.  Seven  other  modes  are 
mentioned  by  ancient  writers. 

Before  the  Reformation  the  service  of  song  in  the  House 
of  the  Lord  was  restricted  (doubtless  for  the  sake  of  de- 
corum) to  the  clergy,  by  whom  it  was  rendered  in  an  un- 
known tongue.  Luther  was  the  first  to  restore  this  part 
of  public  worship  to  the  people.  His  psalmbook  was  pub- 
lished in  [522J  Calvin's  in  1538.  The  Geneva  Psalmbook 
(prepared  under  Calvin's  direction)  became  the  model  for 
those  of  the  other  Reformed  churches.  The  Psalms  were 
fied  in  French  by  Clement  Marot  and  Theodore  Beza. 
I  In-  tunes  were  furnished  by   Louis  Bourgeois  and  Pierre 


Dagues,  mostly  from  popular  melodies.  They  were  after- 
wards harmonized  and  arranged  by  Claude  Goudimel  and 
Claude  Le  Jeune. 

No  other  psalmbook  has  ever  aroused  so  much  enthu- 
siasm as  this.  It  was  with  these  psalms  and  tunes  that 
the  Huguenots  enlivened  their  homes,  rushed  into  battle, 
cheered  their  prison  cells,  and  triumphed  at  the  stake. 

As  early  as  1539  license  was  granted  to  Simon  Cock  to 
print  a  version  of  the  Psalms  in  Flemish  verse,  and  it 
was  printed  the  next  year  at  'Antwerp  with  music  from 
familiar  ballads.  But  it  never  attained  the  popularity  of 
Tilman  Susato's  versification  in  Dutch,  issued  also  in  1540 
at  Antorf. 

The  first  Reformed  Dutch  church  in  the  world  was  or- 
ganized among  the  refugees  in  London  in  1548  and  a  metri- 
cal version  of  the  Psalms  in  their  own  tongue  was  pro- 
vided for  them  by  John  Uytenhoven  of  Ghent,  who  was 
there,  assisting  Cranmer  in  the  reformation  of  the  English 
Church.  I  do  not  know  how  much  he  was  indebted  (if 
at  all)  to  Susato's  Souter  Liedckens  (psalm  songs)  ;  but 
these  psalms  prepared  by  Uytenhoven  were  sung  by  the 
Netherland  churches  "Under  the  Cross."  They  did  not, 
however,  awaken  the  enthusiasm  produced  by  the  Hugue- 
not version. 

In  1565,  therefore,  Peter  Dathen  translated  the  Geneva 
psalmbook  into  Dutch,  preserving  the  metres  and  trans- 
ferring the  melodies.  This  translation  was  endorsed  by 
the  Synod  of  Wesel,  and  "entered  into  the  very  flesh  and 
blood  of  the  Reformed  Netherlanders."  In  1573  Ambrose 
Lobwasser  translated  the  Geneva  Psalmbook  into  German, 
"preserving  the  metres  and  transferring  the  melodies"  as 
Dathen  had  done,  and  these  tunes  sung  to  the  same  psalms 
in  the  various  languages  constituted  for  centuries  a  band 
of  brotherhood  among  the  Reformed  churches  throughout 
the  world. 

In  1619  ProfessorDathen's  translation  of  the  Genevan 
Psalm-book  was  approved  by  the  Synod  of  Dort  and  it  was 
used  by  the  Reformed  Dutch  churches  everywhere.  Tamils 
and  Malays  sang  its  songs  in  their  own  tongues,  and  it 
was  in  common  use  in  America  until  the  Dutch  language 
gave  place  to  the  English  a  hundred  years  after  New 
Netherland  became  New  York  and  New  Jersey. 


Then  the  Consistory  of  the  Church  in  New  York  im- 
ported type  from  the  fatherland,  and  employed  Francis 
Hopkinson,  the  eminent  litterateur  (who  afterward  was 
one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  from 
New  Jersey),  to  prepare  a  version  of  the  psalms  "in  the 
same  manner  as  they  are  versified  in  Low  Dutch,"  yet  "ac- 
cording to  the  genius  of  the  English  tongue."  A  letter 
from  him  shows  that  he  performed  this  difficult  task  "to 
the  great  satisfaction  of  the  Dutch  congregation.',  They 
paid  him  for  his  services  a  hundred  and  forty-five  pounds. 
The  book  was  issued  with  the  explanation  that  it  "is  greatly 
indebted  to  that  of  Dr.  Brady  and  Mr.  Tate,  some  of  the 
psalms  being  transcribed  verbatim  from  their  version,  and 
others  altered  so  as  to  fit  them  to  the  music  used  in  the 
Dutch  churches."  It  was  conformed  to  the  rule  of  the 
Synod  of  Dort  and  was  adopted  by  all  the  Dutch  churches 
in  America  which  used  the  English  language. 


The    Christian    Intelligencer 


July  11,  1906. 


The  First  Psalm  Book  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  in  America 

BY    JOHN    BODINE    THOMPSON,    D.D. 
II. 

/^\N  this  side  of  the  ocean  The  General  Synod  of  the 
^■^  Reformed  Dutch  Church  in  America  succeeded  to 
the  authority  of'  the  Synod  of  Dort,  and  determined  upon 
"A  new  version  out  of  other  collections  of  English  psalms 
m  repute  and  received  in  the  Reformed  Churches."  The 
work  was  entrusted  to  a  committee  consisting  of  the  min- 
isters:  John  H.  Livingston,  Eilardus  Westerlo,  William 
Linn,  James  R.  Hardenbergh,  Dirck  Romeyn,  Solomon 
Froeligh  and  Isaac  Blauvelt.  They  were  instructed  to 
select  only  "From  the  book  of  the  New  York  congrega- 
tion, from  Tate  and  Brady,  and  from  Dr.  Watts/'  unless 
it  should  be  necessary  for  the  sake  of  Orthodoxy  to  seek 
some  other  source. 

An  American  edition  of  Tate  and  Brady's  version  had 
been  published  in  1741.  From  it  the  psalms  in  use  in  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  were 
taken.  In  1741  also  was  published  in  America  an  edition 
of  Dr.  Watts's  "Psalms  of  David,  imitated  in  the  language 
of  the  New  Testament."  The  work  was  accurately  de- 
scribed by  its  title.  While  it  was  in  progress,  Dr.  Watts 
wrote  to  Cotton  Mather :  "It  is  not  a  translation  of  David 
that  I  pretend,  but  an  imitation  of  him  so  nearly  in  Chris- 
tian hymns  that  the  Jewish  psalmist  may  plainly  appear, 
yet  leave  Judaism  behind."  From  that  day  to  this  the  dis- 
tinction between  English  psalms  and  hymns  has  been  a  dis- 
tinction without  a  difference,  though  the  Biblical  psalms  are, 
of  course,  the  normative  of  all  Christian  hymns. 


The  churches,  however,  could  no  longer  be  restricted  to 
even  a  Christianized  version  of  the  Jewish  psalm  book,  and 
the  committee  was  instructed  to  add  "Some  well  composed 
spiritual  hymns."  Copies  of  the  hymns  they  selected  seem 
to  have  been  submitted  to  the  succeeding  session  of 
Synod,  but  not  the  whole  book,  the  committee  explaining 
that  it  was  "in  press."  However,  the  Synod  of  1789  per- 
ceived "with  much  satisfaction  that  the  English  psalms, 
together  with  the  selection  of  hymns  formerly  approved  by 
Synodical  decrees  have  been  happily  committed  to  the 
press  and  are  printed  and  already  in  use  in  many  congre- 
gations." The  hymns  had  been  selected  and  arranged  for 
the  purpose  of  conveying  doctrinal  instruction.  The  first 
began  with  the  stanza : 

Substantial  comfort  will  not  grow 

In  Nature's  barren  soil; 
All  we  can  boast  till   Christ  we  know 

Is    vanity    and    toil. 

I  fear  it  is  now  too  late  to  hope  to  discover  the  author 
of  this  and  other  instructive  hymns  written  apparently  for 
this  book.  Numbers  1  to  52  were  arranged  according  to  the 
sections  of  the  Heidelbergh  catechism  that  they  might  be 
easily  found  for  singing  consecutively  in  connection  with 
the  exposition  of  the  catechism  on  the  fifty-two  Lord's 
Days  of  the  year.  Numbers  53  to  73  were  intended  for  use 
at  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  numbers  74  to  100  were  mis- 
cellaneous. This  book  was  enlarged  in  1812  and  again  in 
1830.  The  first  enlargement  was  made  on  the  petition  of 
the  Classis  of  New  York  referred  to  General  Synod  by  the 
Particular  Synod  of  New  York.  At  the  request  of  Synod, 
Dr.  Livingston  selected  173  hymns,  which  were  added  to 
those  already  in  use.  To  this  book  Dr.  Livingston's  por- 
trait was  prefixed.  :  The  second  enlargement  consisted  of 
172  hymns  selected  by  Dr.  Thomas  DeWitt,  chairman  of 
a  committee  appointed  for  that  purpose.  These  were  called 
"Book  II.,"  the  preceding  addition  being  now  named  "Book 
I."  The  book  thus  enlarged  was  approved  by  the  Synod 
of  1831. 

From  the  beginning  the  Reformed  Churches  had  protested 
against  the  doctrine  that  "ignorance  is  the  mother  of  de- 
votion," and  had  endeavored  to  induce  their  adherents  to 


learn  to  read.  But  in  America  they  had  not  taken  pains 
to  cultivate  music,  the  language  of  the  emotions,  though,, 
for  the  purpose  of  promoting  the  piety  of  their  adherents, 
the  Reformers  had  given  quite  as  much  attention  to  music 
as  to  reading.  For  centuries  music  had  been  one  of  the 
seven  studies  constituting  the  curriculum  of  every  uni- 
versity in  Europe;  but  the  limitations  of  life  in  a  new  land 
prevented  the  settlers  from  giving  it  its  proper  place  in 
either  the  colleges  or  the  churches  established  in  the  wilder- 
ness. Only  very  recently  has  it  been  introduced  into  the 
curriculum  of  American  universities,  and  however  pleasing 
it  may  be,  can  hardly  be  regarded  nowadays  as  a  "help  to 
devotion."  The  struggle  for  existence  in  a  new  country 
left  little  leisure  for  learning  to  sing.  The  consequence 
was  an  increasing  degeneracy  in  this  respect.  Generation 
after  generation  grew  up  with  little  ability  to  participate 
thus  in  divine  worship,  and  content  to  be  hearers  only. 
Not  understanding  how  the  practice  of  worship,  both  in 
public  and  in  private,  was  thus  hindered  by  lack  of  ability 
to  sing  (without  which  in  this  busy  day  divine  contempla- 
tion has  well-nigh  ceased),  a  condition  ensued  which  there 
is  still  deep  reason  to  deplore. 


The    Christian    Intelligencer 


July  18,  1906. 


The  Book  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  the  R.  P.  D. 

Church  in  America 

in. 

BY  JOHN  BODINE  THOMPSON,  D.D. 

'  I  'HE  extensive  revivals  of  religion  which  occurred  be- 
*  tween  1720  and  1740  and  again  between  1820  and  1840 
were  accompanied  and  followed  by  an  awakening  also  to 
the  importance  of  sacred  music.  An  appeal  for  help  went 
up  to  the  General  Synod  of  1836,  and  another  to  that  of 
1837.  But  it  was  not  clear  what  could  be  done.  In  1840, 
however,  Synod  threw  the  responsibility  on  the  Classes 
and  urged  upon  them  "attention  to  sacred  music  in  order 
to  elevate  its  standard  in  their  respective  churches."  It 
also  advised  "the  introduction  of  music  in  the  district 
schools."  This  was  probably  the  first  recognition  by  any 
religious  organization  in  America  of  the  Pestalozzian  edu- 
cational movement  based  upon  the  fact  that  children  are 
even  more  susceptible  than  adults  to  the  influence  of  music 
(as  every  mother  knows  who  sings  her  child  to  sleep). 
Two  years  later  Synod  appointed  a  committee  to  prepare  a 
hymnbook  for  Sunday  schools  under  its  care.  In  184^  the 
Chairman  Rev.  Dr.  John  P.  Knox  reported  a  book  of  331 
hymns  entitled  "Sabbath  School  and  Social  Hymns  of  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church."  It  was  not  until  1862  that  it 
went  so  far  as  formally  to  advise  "the  introduction  of 
music  in  the  district  schools." 

\n  1845  the  Synod,  remembering  that  the  church  in  the 
house  is  also  the  church,  and  that  in  many  houses  the 
P>almbook  contained  the  only  poetry  (or,  at  least  the  only 
religious  poetry)  to  which  the  members  of  the  family  had 
access,    declared    its    conviction    that    "the    selection    of    a 


sound,  vigorous  and  Christian  literature  for  our  youth  is 
an  enterprise  of  the  highest  importance  and  one  in  which 
all  our  ministers,  elders,  and  churches  should  co-operate." 
To  facilitate  this,  Synod  appointed  a  committee  to  prepare 
a  Psalmbook  "with  the  addition  of  such  new  hymns  as 
may  make  the  collection  more  complete."  The  committee 
consisted  of  the  Rev.  Drs.  Isaac  Ferris,  Thomas  DeWitt, 
and  Thomas  M.  Strong,  with  the  Elders  John  D.  Kesse 
and  William  Woram.  The  next  year  they  reported  348 
additional  hymns  properly  digested  with  those  already  in 
use,  making  a  total  of  1,009  hymns  besides  the  171  Psalms 
and  their  "parts."  Among  these  were  many  new  and  ex- 
cellent hymns.  The  arrangement  was  more  nearly  that  of 
the  Westminster  than  of  the  Heidelbergh  Catechism.  The 
additional  hymns  were  printed  separately  also,  and  the 
approval  of  Synod  was  heartily  given. 

The  sciolistic  clamor  for  "the  original  form"  had  not 
yet  arisen,  and  the  good  judgment  of  the  editors  was 
shown,  for  example,  in  adopting  Montgomery's  condensa- 
tion of  Toplady's  "Rock  of  Ages"  into  three  six-line 
stanzas ;  which  none  of  their  successors  have  ventured  to 
do,  though  none  of  them  have  had  the  hardihood  to  restore 
all  the  crudities  of  the  original.  This  collection  was  so 
large  that  Synod  allowed  it  to  be  published  without  any 
doctrinal  appendix,  the  committee  explaining  that  they  had 
"endeavored  to  make  the  poetical  liturgy  of  the  church 
complete." 

At  the  next  session  of  Synod  objection  was  made  to  this 
book  by  the  Classis  of  Bergen  and  the  North  Classis  of 
Long  Island  that  it  included  "ninety  preaching  hymns," 
"hymns  of  praise  to  dead  saints,"  and  "heretical  expres- 
sions," as  well  as  "mixture  of  metaphor"  and  "nonsense," 
and  that  still  other  hymns  were  "not  devotional."  In  so 
large  a  book  there  might  be  ground  for  some  of  these 
objections.  Two  or  three  of  them  were  frankly  admitted, 
and  alterations  made.  Others  were  shown  to  be  overstated, 
and  explanations  were  given.  At  its  next  session,  on  re- 
quest of  the  Classis  of  Orange,  Synod  voted  to  allow  also 
"an  edition  of  the  former  Book  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  as 
the  same  was  in  use  in  the  church  previous  to  the  Synod 
of  1847."    It  9eems  that  with  this  action  all  were  satisfied. 


In    [856  the   Board  of  Publication,  following  a  Scottish 

precedent,  issued  an  edition  of  the  Psalms  and  hymns  with 
a  little  book  of  tunes  bound  within  the  same  covers  at  the 
top;  but  this  book  proved  to  be  too  large  for  convenience. 

In  1858  Synod  gave  the  Classes  permission  to  receive 
churches  desiring  to  continue  the  use  of  the  Scottish  ver- 
sion of  the  Psalms. 

During  the  nineteenth  century  there  was  great  develop-, 
ment  in  both  literature  and  music.  Excellent  translations 
of  hymns  and  new  hymns  of  equal  excellence  were  added 
to  the  stores  of  English  literature.  Music  was  commonly 
written  in  four  parts.  The  best  tunes  were  derived  from 
the  works  of  the  Great  Masters.  But  only  small  portions 
of  these  were  available  for  popular  use.  Under  inspiration 
differing  from  that  of  the  Masters  only  in  degree  others 
composed  tunes  which  expressed  the  sentiment  of  the  words 
to  which  they  were  set  in  such  musical  language  as  could 
be  "understanded  of  the  people." 

"Hold  the  Fort  for  I  am  Coming"  may  serve  as  a.n  illus- 
tration. This  spiritual  song  was  based  upon  the  message 
sent  during  the  Civil  War  from  the  top  of  Mount  Kenesaw 
to  Allatoona,  whose  garrison,  thus  encouraged,  held  the 
fort  until  deliverance  came. 

As  this  statement  has  been  disputed,  I  insert  here  part  of 
an  autograph  letter  in  my  possession  : 

Headquarters  Army  of  the  United  States. 

St.   Louis,   Mo.,  June  22,   1875. 
John    B.    Thompson,    Catskill,    N.    Y. 

My  Dear  Sir:  I  am  just  back  from  Boston  and  find  your  letter 
of  June  12  with  enclosures,  and  was  glad  to  learn  for  the  first  time 
that  one  of  the  hymns  of  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  of  London 
was  founded  on  the  defence  of  Allatoona.  You  will  find  the  incident 
described  in  full  in  the  memoirs  of  General  W.  T.  Sherman,  Vol. 
H,  in  the  chapter  "Pursuit  of  Hood,"  October,  1874.  (Of  course  it 
should  be  1864.)  Allatoona  was  held  by  a  small  garrison,  was  im- 
portant, and  I  was  marching  to  its  relief.  The  enemy  had  got  there 
first  with  a  superior  force,  and  had  cut  all  the  telegraph  lines.  I 
got  on  the  top  of  Kenesaw,  eighteen  miles  distant,  from  which  we 
could  see  faintly  the  assault,  but  were  still  too  far  off  to  be  felt; 
but  I  telegraphed  the  fact  of  our  coming,  by  signal  flag.  I  don't  think 
I  used  the  words  "Hold  the  fort."  That,  however,  was  the  duty 
of   the   garrison,   and  they  did   it   manfully.      Truly   your   friend, 

W.  T.  Sherman,  General 

Reading  of  this  incident,  the  late  Philip  Paul  Bliss   (to 

whom  earth  was  a  parable  of  heaven)   was  moved  to  write 

the  hymn  and  tune  which  were  soon  sung  round  the  world. 


It  is  not  a  great  hymn,  nor  a  great  tune;  but  it  has  done 
great  good.  In  this  connection  the  following  letter  will  be 
of  interest : 

Chicago,  30th  June,   1875. 

Dear  Sir  and  Brother:  Yours  with  the  complimentary  superscrip- 
tion came  directly.  The  Lord  be  praised  for  the  closing  paragraph, 
"100  recent  converts."  I  rejoice  with  you  for  them.  You  may  not 
get  this  in  time  for  Sunday,  but  I'd  like  to  have  "Hold  the  Fort" 
sung,    especially    for   young   Christians. 

The  Lord  gave  the  song,  words  and  music,  July  1  to  6,  1870, 
while  I  was  busy  with  preparing  my  first  book,  "The  Charm."  The 
words  entire,  and  the  chorus  of  the  music,  came  first  to  me,  sug- 
gested by  an  army  incident  where  the  commander  signalled  across 
the  valley,  over  the  heads  of  the  enemy,  the  message,  "Hold  the  fort, 
I  am  coming."  The  fort  was  held  against  a  foe  greatly  outnumbering 
them.  And  so  our  Commander  says  to  us,  "I  will  come  again,"  "Be 
of  good  cheer,  I  have  overcome  the  world";  "Hold  that  fast  which 
thou  hast." 

Brother  Sankey  has  sent  me  a  copy  of  the  song  translated  into 
German.  It  has  also  been  used  in  India  and  Africa,  I  am  told. 
May  the  Lord  continue  to  bless  it  by  using  it  for  His  glory,  and 
may  those  who  sing  and  hear  it  be  made  more  watchful  till  He  comes. 

Yours  in  Him, 

P.   P.    Bliss. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  this  "man  greatly  beloved" 
held  the  fort  even  to  the  death  at  Ashtabula,  where,  in 
order  to  rescue  his  wife,  he  re-entered  the  car  which  proved 
to  be  the  chariot  of  fire  by  means  of  which  they  both  went 
up  into  heaven,  December  29,  1876. 


The    Christian    Intelligencer 

July  25,  1906. 


"Hymns  of  the  Church,"  Etc. 

BY  JOHN  liODJNE  THOMPSON,  D.D. 
IV. 
npJIE  Reformed  Church  in  America  had  never  had  a 
"*  book  of  English  hymns  set  to  music.  Individuals  in 
other  denominations  had  attempted  to  make  such  books. 
As  early  as  1810  Samuel  Hoiyoke  had  printed  the  "Colom- 
bian Repository,"  in  which  he  achieved  the  prodigious  task 
of  fitting  a  different  tune  to  every  one  of  Watt's  hymns. 
About  the  middle  of  the  century  several  books  of  more 
convenient  size  appeared  with  hymns  and  tunes  on  the 
same  page,  most  of  them  prepared  for  private  gain,  and 
therefore  rather  below  than  above  the  average  taste  and 
intellect,  as  all  books  of  this  kind  must  be,  for  pecuniary 
profit.  One  or  two  of  the  congregations  in  the  Reformed 
Church  ventured,  in  spite  of  the  constitutional  law,  to  in- 
troduce such  books;  but  the  result  was  unsatisfactory. 
Generally  the  music  was  too  poor  to  please  those  who 
could  sing  or  to  induce  those  who  could  not  sing  to  try 
to  learn.  And  the  hymns  were  as  common-place  as  the 
tunes.  Meanwhile  the  Church  was  growing  restless.  Sev- 
eral ministers  (without  knowledge  of  each  others  move- 
ments) began  to  make  collections.  Consistories  took  pains 
to  establish  singing  classes  for  both  adults  and  children. 
It  seemed  as  if  we  might  be  on  the  verge  of  another  era. 
The  time  was  ripe  for  a  new  departure  and  the  occasion 
was  not  far  to  seek. 

The  Synod  of  1868  met  in  Hudson,  N.  Y.  Thither 
came  the  Rev.  Dr.  Zachary  Eddy,  pastor  of  the  Church  on 
the  Heights  in  Brooklyn,  with   119  hymns  selected  by  him. 


His  design  was  to  make  a  book  for  use  in  the  South  Gas- 
sis  of  Long  Island.  That  Classis  had  approved  the  project 
and  now  sent  him  to  Synod  to  secure  its  consent  to 
the  plan.  One  of  the  members  of  this  Synod  was  the  Rev. 
John  Bodine  Thompson,  pastor  of  the  Old  Dutch  Church 
of  Sleepy  Hollow  at  Tarrytown.  He  brought  to  Synod 
131  hymns  which  he  had  selected.  At  his  suggestion  Dr. 
Eddy  added  these  to  his,  and  asked  the  approval  of  the 
whole  250  by  Synod.  The  request  was  referred  to  a  special 
committee  of  which  Mr.  Thompson  was  chairman.  Col- 
lections of  hymns  made  by  the  Rev.  Drs.  Rufus  W.  Clark 
and  Anson  Du  Bois  were  also  presented  to  Synod  and 
referred  to  the  same  committee.  From  the  four  collec- 
tions thus  submitted  they  selected  350  hymns  and  advised 
the  making  of  a  book  of  hymns  and  tunes  for  the  whole 
Church.  The  report  was  adopted  and  the  work  entrusted 
to  a  committee  of  which  Mr.  Thompson  was  made  chair- 
man. The  other  members  were  the  Rev.  Drs.  Ashbel 
Green  Vermilye,  of  Utica,  and  Alexander  Ramsay  Thomp- 
son, of  New  York  City. 

This  "Committee  on  Hymnology,"  as  it  was  called, 
planned  to  issue  three  books  for  use  respectively,  in 
church,  prayer-meetings,  and  Sunday-schools.  The  first 
they  decided  to  call  "Hymns  of  the  Church."  In  the  prep- 
aration of  this  they  requested  and  obtained  the  hearty  and 
constant  co-operation  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Eddy.  At  the  re- 
quest of  the  committee,  and  to  supply  a  felt  need,  he  wrote 
hymn  229 : 

Jesus,  enthroned  and  glorified 

At  Thy  Almighty  Father's  side, 
Thy  people's  prayer  inspire! 

Thou  art  alive  forevermore; 

Oh  then  on  us  Thy  spirit  pour; 
Baptize  us  now  with  fire! 

The  need  for  good  tunes  was  even  greater  than  that  for 
hymns.  The  work  of  the  musical  editor  whom  Dr.  Eddy 
had  partially  engaged  was  not  satisfactory  and  Mr.  Uzziah 
C.  Burnap,  organist  of  the  Church  on  the  Heights,  was 
selected  in  his  stead.  He  discharged  his  duties  acceptably, 
under  the  supervision,  chiefly,  of  Drs.  Eddy  and  Alexander 
R.  Thompson,  who  were  both  singers. 


Forty  chants  were  added  to  the  book  in  hope  that  the 
many  who  from  lack  of  early  culture  were  unable  to  sing 
the  tunes  in  common  use  might  be  induced  to  join  in  the 
recitative  still  in  vogue  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
But  it  seems  impossible  to  induce  those  accustomed  to 
the  melodies  and  harmonies  of  modern  lyrical  song  to 
revert  to  the  cantillation  of  prose  (or  of  prosaic  verse), 
though  the   atavistic   endeavor   still   continues. 

The  publishing  house  with  which  Dr.  Eddy  had  been  ne- 
gotiating readily  undertook  the  publication  and  made  the 
mechanical  part  of  the  work  as  great  an  advance  on  any 
of  its  predecessors  as  were  the  literary  and  musical  parts. 
The  book  was  not  published  until  it  had  been  submitted  to 
the  Synod  of  1869,  by  which  it  was  recommended  to  "All 
churches,  families  and  individuals  within  their  com- 
munion." The  book  was  too  large,  but,  nevertheless,  Synod 
insisted  upon  binding  wi/hin  the  same  covers  the 
liturgy  and  doctrinal  standards.  The  arrangement,  as 
usual,  indicated  the  progress  of  doctrine.  It  was  not  con- 
formed to  either  of  the  Catechisms;  yet  it  was  doctrinal. 
Beginning  with  the  persons  of  the  Trinity,  it  included  under 
the  heading,  "The  Holy  Spirit,"  hymns  of  the  Christian 
life,  followed  these  with  hymns  on  the  Church  and  its  in- 
stitutions, on  missions,  and  for  other  acts  and  occasions  of 
special  worship. 

Perhaps  this  book  was  too  good.  Perhaps  the  literary 
and  musical  standards  were  both  too  high.  Perhaps  it 
followed  ancient  usage  too  closely.  The  committee  had 
desired  that  it  should  have  an  educational  value  also; 
and  in  this  they  were  not  disappointed.  It  had  an  elevat- 
ing effect.  A  few  years'  experience,  however,  showed 
that  a  hundred  of  the  tunes  were  too  difficult  for  use  in 
many  congregations.  On  conference  with  a  committee  of 
Synod  appointed  for  the  purpose,  simpler  tunes  were  sub- 
stituted. A  considerable  number  of  the  hymns  also  were 
scarcely  suited  to  the  need  of  the  average  worshipper; 
but  change  in  them  was  thought  impracticable. 

In  their  report  to  Synod  the  committee  on  llymnology 
had  said:  "Several  congregations  of  Presbyterian,  Congre- 


gational,  and  other  denominations  are  preparing  to  intro- 
duce the  book  at  once."  Not  long  after,  however,  these  con- 
gregations adopted  other  books  issued  by  the  same  pub- 
lishers. The  book  was  a  collection,  rather  than  a  selec- 
tion. It  included  all  the  hymns  desired  by  the  editors 
and  by  those  in  whose  taste  they  had  confidence.  When 
they  first  sat  down  together  to  examine  the  1,180  numbers 
of  the  collection  then  in  use  they  found  but  324  which 
any  of  them  ever  had,  or  ever  would  have,  sung  in  public 
worship ;  yet  they  made  a  collection  which  reached  1,007 
numbers !  "Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern"  had  but  400 
numbers  and  was  selling  at  the  rate  of  a  million  a  year. 
The  largest  Presbyterian  church  in  New  York  City  had 
used  only  383  hymns  in  seven  years,  and  only  288  of  these 
more  than  once. 

Study  of  such  facts  warranted  the  conclusion  that  the 
divine  plan  for  development  Godward  had  been  misap- 
prehended. Too  much  pains  had  been  taken  to  conserve, 
not  only  the  ends,  but  also  the  methods  of  procedure  of 
past  ages.  There  seemed  to  be  now  a  desire  for  hymns 
and  tunes  which  should  express  devotional  feeling  unhin- 
dered by  the  inclusion  of  so  large  a  proportion  of  informa- 
tion, merely.  Instruction  was  to  be  expected  from  the 
pulpit  rather  than  from  the  choir.  The  best  Christian  cul- 
ture no  longer  desired  to  worship  in  public  by  the  use  of 
hymns  chiefly  didactic,  dogmatic,  descriptive,  hortatory, 
introspective  or  eulogistic  of  individuals  or  institutions.  It 
was  against  such  hymns  that  the  Classis  of  Bergen  and 
the  North  Classis  of  Long  Island  had  remonstrated  twenty 
years  before. 

Moreover,  it  was  now  becoming  clear  that  only  the  poetry 
called  "lyrical"  is  appropriate  for  musical  expression,  as 
indeed,  the  adjective  "lyrical"  indicates.  Lyrical  poetry  is 
more  emotional  than  any  other.  In  its  loftiest  flights  it 
is  almost  as  emotional  and  vague  as  music.  In  its  highest 
strains  the  thought  is  scarcely  distinguishable  from  the 
form.  This  may  be  noticed  especially  in  the  snatches  of 
music  used  by  Shakespeare.     Sometimes  the  whole  instruc- 


lion  of  the  play  is  summed  up  emotionally  in  a  half  dozen 
lines  of  lyrical  verse.  The  emotion  has  become  so  in- 
tense that  it  can  find  adequate  expression  only  in  the  terms 
of  music.  The  language  of  the  intellect  fails.  Only  that 
oi  the  emotions  is  available.  The  most  intelligent  Chris- 
tians have  arrived  at  Augustine's  definition,  and  desire  to 
sing  only  (or  chiefly  at  least)  hymns  of  praise.  Indeed, 
what  we  call  psalms  the  Royal  Psalmist  himself  calls  praises 
U'lIiUoth). 

And  a  mere  concourse  of  sweet  sounds  no  longer  suf- 
fices for  worship.  Knowledge  and  experience  have  com- 
bined to  produce  desire  that  the  music  should  express  the 
same  kind  of  emotion  as  the  words,  and  not  a  merely 
>imilar  emotion  of  another  quality.  There  are  indications 
that  we  may  be  at  the  beginning  of  a  stage  of  progress 
which  shall  some  day  issue  in  a  distinction  between  differ- 
ent kinds  of  music  as  definite  as  that  of  the  ancient  Greeks, 
and  m  the  recognition  of  a  mode  impossible  in  any  Pagan 
cultus.  People  are  beginning  to  distinguish  between  music 
that  is  merely  or  chiefly  sentimental  and  that  which,  posi- 
tively  devotional,   lifts   the   soul   directly  toward   God. 

So  long  ago  as  1637  the  Rev.  Henry  Sydenham,  of 
London,  preaching  on  this  subject,  said:  "There  is  noth- 
ing more  betraying  us  to  sensuality  than  some  kinds  of 
music ;  than  others  none  more  advancing  us  to 
God."  Dryden's  "Ode  for  St.  Cecilia's  Day"  teaches  the 
same  truth;  which  is  illustrated,  also,  by  Tolstoi  in  one  of 
hi*  brochures.  Yet  organists  and  choirs  and  hymn-book 
makers  mostly  seem  in  utter  ignorance  of  these  import- 
ant distinctions!  More  than  half  a  century  ago  Richard 
Storrs  Willis,  returning  from  the  funeral  of  his  child, 
saw  her  little  shoe  lying  near  the  piano,  sat  down  and  as- 
suaged  his  grief  by  singing  an  impromptu  song  "To  My 
Baby's  Shoe."  After  his  death  a  young  musician  read  the 
score,  harmonized  it,  and  set  it  to  the  words  of  a  hymn 
in  a  book  he  was  preparing,  crediting  it  to  himself!  It  is 
pretty,  and  plaintive  and  popular,  because  sentimental.  But 
it  is  not  devotional !    And  many  people  think  they  are  de- 


votional  when  they  are  only  sentimental !  Hence  the  popu- 
larity of  many  modern  hymn  and  tune  books. 

In  1871  the  committee  on  Hymnology  submitted  to  Synod 
proof  sheets  of  a  book  entitled  "Hymns  of  Prayer  and 
Praise."  As  Hymns  of  the  Church  was  the  first,  so  this 
was  the  second  book  with  tunes  authorized  by  General 
Synod.  It  was  printed  by  the  publishers  of  Hymns  of  the 
Church  in  the  same  handsome  style.  The  care  of  seeing 
both  these  books  through  the  press  devolved  very  largely 
upon  the  Rev.  Dr.  Alexander  R.  Thompson,  who  was  easy 
of  access  from  the  office  of  the  printer.  His  time  and 
talent  were  given  to  the  work  ungrudgingly  and  without 
restraint.  His  thoroughly  refined  tastes  gave  him  a  strong- 
ly liturgical  tendency.  He  was  urgent  that  "Hymns  of 
Prayer  and  Praise"  should  be  arranged  in  the  order  of 
"The  Church  Year/'  Dr.  Vermilye  objected.  Eventually 
the  suggestion  of  the  chairman  was  adopted,  and  the  ar- 
rangement was  that  of  events  in  the  life  of  Christ.  But 
this  was  hardly  a  Via  Media.  However,  the  book  had  an 
educational  value.  Churches  also  in  other  denominations 
who  desired  a  better  class  of  hymns  and  tunes  than  were 
common  in  prayer  meetings  used  it.  Several  years  after- 
ward it  was  unexpectedly  found  in  use  also  on  the  Pa- 
cific coast. 

When  it  was  about  ready  for  the  press  the  chairman 
(because  of  absence  from  the  country)  withdrew  from  the 
committee,  and  the  proposed  Sunday-school  book  was  never 
completed,  though  the  material  had  been  approved  by  the 
Synod  of  1870.  Dr.  Vermilye  succeeded  to  the  chairman- 
ship and  the  committee  continued  to  pay  the  royalty  into 
the  treasury  of  Synod  until  discharged  at  its  own  re- 
quest in  1885. 


The    Christian    Intelligencer 


August  8,  1906. 


'Christian  Praise" 


BY    JOHN    BODINE    THOMPSON,    D.D. 

V. 

A  FTER  the  publication  of  Hymns  of  the  Church  the 
members  of  the  committee  which  prepared  it  were  an- 
noyed because  it  was  not  pushed  among  the  Presbyterian 
Churches  also  where  it  was  desired  by  some  pastors,  and 
where  it  was  hoped  it  might  also  have  an  educative  influ- 
ence. They  recognized  also  that  it  was  too  large;  and 
the  chairman  of  the  committee  determined  to  make  a 
book  on  a  different  plan.  The  plan  would  make  it  a  small 
book.  It  might  be  an  unpopular  book.  But  it  would  suit 
those  like  minded  with  the  compiler.  It  could  not  be  used 
in  the  Reformed  Churches;  but  the  Presbyterian  churches 
were  without  restraint  upon  their  hymnody — and  some  of 
them  might  want  it. 

William  Hinchman  Piatt  was  an  elder  in  the  First 
Church  of  Tarrytown,  a  man  of  refined  taste  as  well  as  of 
both  literary  and  musical  culture.  He  had  had  experience 
also  as  an  instructor  and  leader  of  choirs  in  both  large 
and  small  churches  in  the  country  and  in  the  city.  He  and 
his  pastor  held  the  same  opinions,  and  together  they  made 
the  book,  described  by  its  title,  "Christian  Praise."  The 
title  was  chosen  by  Mr.  Piatt,  who  so  clearly  recognized 
the  fact  that  what  is  sung  in  churches  should  be  praise,  and 
that  of  a  specifically  Christian  character.  The  arrange- 
ment was  not  doctrinal  but  devotional.  The  metres  were 
separate,  and  the  style  in  each  passed  gradually  from  the 
grave    and    dignified    to    the    more    emotional    and    varied. 


Hymns  and  tunes  alike  were  chosen  to  express  and  incite 
and  develop  Christian  feeling.  The  musical  language  and 
the  literary  language  were  upon  opposite  pages,  allowing  a 
choice  of  either  of  three  tunes,  each  expressing  in  its  own 
way  the  emotion  of  the  hymns  opposite.  For,  however 
true  it  may  be  that  only  one  tune  can  be  the  perfect  ex- 
pression of  the  thought  of  a  hymn  as  it  lay  in  the  mind  of 
the  author,  it  is  also  true  that  each  worshipper  has  his  own 
conception  of  that  meaning  and  is  entitled  to  the  privilege 
of  expressing  it  in  appropriate  music  within  his  power  to 
execute. 

The  directions  for  the  use  of  the  book  said :  "If  the  ob- 
ject be  to  impress  the  feelings  and  prepare  for  acts  of  wor- 
ship, one  of  the  special  adaptations  or  one  of  the  tunes  of 
the  higher  and  more  difficult  style  may  be  sung  by  the 
trained  choir.  If  the  object  be  to  express  the  feelings  in 
direct  acts  of  worship,  one  of  the  simpler  tunes  in  which 
all  can  join  should  be  used.  The  book  is  specially  de- 
signed for  this  end,  while  fostering  progress  also  in  the 
appreciation  of  musical  language."  The  very  different 
tunes  "Metuchen"  and  "Mine  Forever,"  composed  for  this 
work  by  the  musical  editor,  illustrate  the  views  with  which 
^  was  prepared. 

In  concession  to  custom,  as  many  as  454  hymns  were 
included,  and  a  full  topical  index  of  first  lines  (with  the 
names  of  the  tunes)  afforded  facilities  for  those  who  still 
might  choose  to  select  hymns  chiefly  for  the  enforcement 
of  doctrine.  The  introduction  was  written  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Roswell  C.  Hitchcock,  who  had  "long  entertained  the 
views  underlying  this  work"  and  was  now  "glad  to  see 
them  so  happily  carried  out."  With  such  endorsement  the 
book  sold,  not  only  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  but  also  beyond 
the  Mississippi.  Baptist  churches  demanded  an  edition  for 
their  use,  and  of  this  there  vvere  issued  also  large  paper 
copies,  now  rare. 

The  compilers  (who  owned  the  copyright)  kept  it  out  of 
the  Reformed  churches  until,  on  the  death  of  the  publisher, 
the  plates  were  purchased  by  the  Board  of  Publication,  at 
whose  request  the  book  was  approved  and  recommended 
for  use  in  the  churches  by  the  General  Synod  of  1879.     To 


this  edition  were  appended  (at  the  request  of  the  Board) 
126  miscellaneous  hymns  and  tunes  for  social  worship. 
The  interest  of  the  musical  editor  was  bought  by  the  Board 
for  one  thousand  dollars,  and  that  of  the  literary  editor 
was  given  without  compensation.     Synod  consented  to  the 

publication  with  only  the  catechism  and  the  sacramental 
forms  appended.  However,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Creed, 
and  the  Ten  Commandments  were  printed  on  the  usual 
"blank  leaves,"  thus  facilitating  its  use  also  as  a  church 
service  book. 

The  Synod  of  1880  declared,  "the  book  is  so  excellent 
there  cannot  be  a  better !"  In  order  to  avoid  competition 
with  the  Hymns  of  the  Church  the  book  was  advertised 
chiefly  for  social  worship ;  yet  it  made  its  way.  The  Board 
of  Publication  reports  the  sale  of  more  copies  of  it  than 
have  been  sold  of  any  other  authorized  hymnbook  of  the 
Reformed  Church  in  America.  To  meet  the  continuing 
demand,  new  plates  were  prepared  at  the  begining  of  the 
year   1902,  without  consulting  the  surviving  editor. 

This  book  was  so  wrell  appreciated  by  an  elder  (who 
afterward  returned  to  the  denomination  from  which  he  had 
come)  that  he  obtained  from  the  Board  the  privilege  of 
using  its  material  in  a  smaller  book  which  he  proposed  to 
prepare.  That  book  when  printed  was  found  to  have 
most  of  the  distinctive  features  of  Christian  Praise,  its 
hymns  and  tunes  on  opposite  pages,  its  adaptations,  one  of 
the  two  tunes  composed  for  it  by  the  musical  editor,  etc., 
etc.  The  wealthy  compiler  had  plates  prepared,  and  then 
gave  the  whole  to  one  of  the  great  publishing  societies  of 
the  country.  The  application  to  the  Synod  of  1888  for 
the  endorsement  of  this  rival  to  its  own  publications,  as 
well  as  of  one  prepared  by  the  Rev.  Drs.  Eddy  and 
Hitchcock,  was  not  granted  by  General  Synod,  which  had 
never,  as  yet,  allowed  its  churches  to  be  exploited  for  the 
pecuniary  benefit  of  individuals. 

Another  book  named  "Christian  Praise"  was  issued  by 
a  New  York  firm  which,  on  remonstrance,  changed  the 
title  to  "Sorfgs  of  Christian  Praise,"  this  change  being 
deemed  sufficient  to  avoid  the  penalties  of  the  copyright 
law  of  the  United  States. 


The    Christian    I  n telligencer 

August  15,  1906. 


"The  Church  Hymnary" 

BY   JOHN    B.    THOMPSON,   D.D. 
VI. 

jyfR.  EDWIN  A.  BEDELL,  organist  of  the  Madison 
Avenue  Reformed  Church  in  Albany,  had  a  laudable 
desire  for  a  book  of  his  own  making,  and  prepared  it  with 
care.  It  was  entitled  "Lauda  Zion,"  and  was  submitted 
in  manuscript  to  a  committee  of  General  Synod,  whose 
working  members  were  the  Rev.  Drs.  Edward  A.  Collier 
and  William  A.  Clark,  both  well-known  for  their  musical 
as  well  as  literary  taste  and  culture. 

Five  years  before  Dr.  Collier  had  been  chairman  of  a 
committee  to  consider  some  proposed  action  on  church 
hymnody  and  had  made  a  report  showing  that  he  held 
the  views  which  underlie  Christian  praise.  His  report 
was  adopted,  declaring  it  "inexpedient  that  any  action  be 
taken  at  this  time." 

Dr.  Clark  was  chairman  of  a  committee  to  "examine  and 
report  on  hymn-books,"  and  to  this  committee  Dr.  Collier 
was  added  in  1889.  These  hymnologists  gave  many  weeks 
to  the  most  careful  study  of  the  book  which,  as  it  came 
into  their  hands,  contained  about  1,400  hymns.  About  600 
of  these  were  excluded  and  about  200  others  inserted.  The 
name  was  changed  to  "The  Church  Hymnary,"  and  the 
book  was  endorsed  by  the  Synod  of  1890. 

It  is  a  thoroughly  modern  book.  While  Isaac  Watts  and 
Charles  Wesley  furnish  as  usual  more  hymns  than  any 
other  two  authors,  and  there  are  31  by  James  Montgomery, 
there  are  35  by  John  Mason  Neale  and  30  by  Horatius 
Bonar.  Among  American  authors,  16  are  credited  to  Ray 
Palmer,  11  to  Thomas  Hastings,  and  3  to  each  of  the  per- 
sons whose  names  here  follow :  Leonard  Bacon,  William 
Cullen  Bryant,  Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe,  George  Washington 


Doane,  William  Augustus  Muhlenberg,  Edwin  Pond  Par- 
ker, Samuel  Francis  Smith,  Alexander  Ramsay  Thompson, 
and  Denis  Wortman.  And  the  music  is  still  more  modern. 
As  many  as  49  tunes  are  credited  to  John  Bacchus  Dykes, 
42  to  Lowell  Mason,  40  to  Joseph  Barnby,  27  to  Arthur 
Seymour  Sullivan,  17  to  Edward  John  Hopkins,  and  as 
many  to  Uzziah  C.  Burnap,  the  musical  editor  of  hymns  of 
the  church. 

The  arrangement  is  doctrinal,  but  practical,  rather  than 
theoretical.  It  begins  with  worship,  its  opening,  offerings, 
and  close;  continues  with  the  Scriptures;  the  Trinity; 
Christian  life  and  experience ;  the  church,  its  building, 
ministry,  sacraments,  and  work,  especially  missions ;  times 
and  seasons;  special  occasions;  the  last  things;  and  closes 
with  the  usual  doxologies,  responses  and  chants. 

The  Synod  of  1897  declared  it  "widely  esteemed  as  the 
ideal  manual  of  praise  for  the  sanctuary."  It  has  met  with 
acceptance  also  in  Congregational,  Presbyterian  and  Bap- 
tist Churches,  and  (it  is  understood)  has  proved  highly  re- 
munerative. The  twentieth  century  edition  displaces  a  few 
unnecessary  hymns  and  adds  a  few  desirable  ones.  The 
tune  called  "St.  Petersburgh"  bears  the  mark  of  the  late 
Rev.  Dr.  Guido  F.  Verbeck,  of  Japan,  who  gave  informa- 
tion that  the  Russian  bands  always  play  it  with  the  slur  at 
the  beginning  of  the  last  line  of  the  alto,  and  his  sugges- 
tion was  at  once  adopted.  In  1862  the  Board  of  Publica- 
tion issued  the  "Fulton  Street  Hymnbook  for  the  use  of 
Union  Prayer  Meetings,  Sabbath  Schools  and  Families.'' 
In  1881  a  book  of  hymns  and  tunes,  called  "Spiritual  Songs 
for  Sunday  Schools,"  prepared  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  S. 
Robinson,  was  submitted  for  the  approval  of  Synod.  After 
prolonged  debate  the  matter  was  referred  to  the  Board  of 
Publication  "with  powers."  This  quasi  approval  encour- 
aged similar  applications,  and  the  representatives  of  com- 
pilers and  publishers  year  after  year  sought  the  imprimatur 
of  Synod  (in  the  words  of  a  committee  of  investigation) 
f<»r  "one  hymnbook  and  another,  and  again  another,  as 
wave  succeeds  wave."     But  Synod  persistently  refused  to  be 


thus  instrumental  in  the  promotion  of  private  gain  until 
the  year  1890. 

In  1898  a  committee  was  appointed  "to  consider  the 
matter  of  Sunday  School  Hymnbooks."  This  committee 
consisted  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Collier,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Denis  Wort- 
man  and  the  Rev.  Benjamin  E.  Dickhaut. 

After  careful  and  prolonged  consideration  the  committee 
decided  to  recommend  the  "Sunday  School  Hymnal"  of  the 
(German)  Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States,  in  which 
had  been  incorporated  a  considerable  number  of  sugges- 
tions made  by  this  committe'e.  The  book  was  well  planned 
to  lead  up  to,  and  not  away  from,  "the  service  of  song  in 
the  house  of  the  Lord."  It  was  approved  by  the  General 
Synod  of  1900,  and  the  favor  with  which  it  was  received 
showed  a  great  improvement  in  popular  taste,  which  has 
been  still  more  elevated  by  this  publication.  "It  rings 
with  praise !" 

The  General  Synod  of  1792  approved  the  psalms  and 
hymns  in  the  French  language  prepared  by  Marot  and 
Beza ;  and  in  German  those  published  at  Marburgh  and 
Amsterdam^  and  used  in  Germany,  the  Netherlands,  and 
Pennsylvania. 

In  1853  the  Rev.  John  C.  Guldin  presented  to  Synod  a 
petition  "in  relation  to  the  preparation  and  publication  of  a 
book  in  the  German  language,  which  should  contain  also  a 
metrical  version  of  the  Hebrew  psalms.  In  compliance 
with  this  request  Synod  appointed  a  committee  to  choose 
and  arrange  the  material  for  such  a  book  and  to  submit  it, 
when  ready,  to  another  committee  consisting  of  the  Rev. 
Drs.  Thomas  De  Witt,  William  Henry  Campbell,  and  John 
Proudfit,  whose  approval  should  be  the  warrant  to  have  it 
"printed  without  delay."  The  committee  to  prepare  the 
book  consisted  of  the  Rev.  John  C.  Guldin,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Joseph  Berg,  and  the  elder  Berky,  though  Dr.  Berg  was 
not  able  to  take  part  in  the  work,  which  devolved  almost 
entirely  upon  the  competent  and  excellent  chairman  (who 
must  really  have  been  engaged  in  it  for  a  long  time  before 
the  application  to  Synod).  It  was  published  in  1854  with 
the    title,    "Die    Psalmen    Davids,    nebst    einer    Sammlung 


geistlicher  Lieder,  fur  oeffentlichen  und  Privat-Gottes- 
dienst"  (The  Psalms  of  David,  with  a  Collection  of  Spiri- 
tual Songs,  for  public  and  private  worship). 

It  was  used  in  all  the  German-speaking  churches  of  the 
denomination  and  was  adopted  also  by  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States.  It  is  an  excellent  book,  and 
the  preface  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  hymnology.  It 
includes  admirable  "remarks  upon  the  music"  by  the  mus- 
ical editor,  Dr.  C.  W.  Lange,  who  was  the  organist  of  the 
Evangelical  Mission  Church  in  New  York. 

The  Board  of  Publication  of  the  Reformed  Church  in 
America  has  published  two  hymn  and  tune  books  in  the 
German  language.  The  first,  issued  in  i860,  was  called 
the  "Evangelische  Kinder-harfe  fur  Christliche  Schulen" 
(Children's  Harp  for  Christian  Schools).  The  second, 
issued  in  1884,  was  called  "Evangeliseher  Liederkranz :  fur 
kirche,  schule  und  haus"  (A  Wreath  of  Songs  for  church, 
school  and  house).  In  1890  Synod  resolved  that  "the  Ger- 
man congregations  of  the  Church  be  permitted  to  use  in 
their  church  services  the  hymnbook  published  by  the  Ger- 
man Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States." 

No  attempt  has  ever  been  made  by  the  General  Synod 
to  control  the  use  of  hymns  in  the  churches  of  the  de- 
nomination still  speaking  the  Dutch  language. 


The    Christian    I  ntelligencer 

September  18,   1907. 


The  Rev.  John  B.  Thompson,  D.D. 

BY  E.  TANJORE  CORWIN,  D.D. 

A  NOTHER  of  our  standard-bearers  has  fallen,  but  at 
**  a  ripe  old  age.  Rev.  Dr.  Thompson,  so  well  knc*vn 
in  the  assemblies  and  institutions  of  our  Church,  laid  aside 
his  earthly  armor  on  September  4th.  He  was  born  in 
1830,  and  if  he  had  lived  until  October  14th  he  would  have 
been  seventy-seven  years  old.  The  oldest  child  of  his 
parents,  of  large  size  and  vigorous  physique,  he  early  de- 
veloped a  fondness  for  study,  and  determined  to  take  a 
college  course.  His  father  was  the  Hon.  Joseph  Thomp- 
son, who,  after  being  for  fifteen  years  judge  of  the  Hunter- 
don county  court,  was,  for  another  fifteen  years,  judge  of 
the  Somerset  county  court.  Dr.  Thompson's  early  man- 
hood was  devoted  to  the  affairs  of  practical  life,  and  the 
business  knowledge  thus  acquired,  fitted  him  to  be  a  sym- 
pathetic counselor  and  friend  of  youth  during  the  whole 
of  his  ministry.  He  belongs  to  a  family  of  teachers,  and 
never  ceased  to  be  a  helper  of  the  young  in  their  endeavors 
for  the  acquirement  of  knowledge. 
He  prepared   for   college  under  the   instruction   of  his 

uncle,  Rev.  William  J.  Thompson,  long  known  as  Tutor 
'1  hompson,  who  was  rector  of  the  New  Brunswick  Gram- 
mar School  from  1846-1862.  The  nephew  became  an  as- 
sistant teacher  in  the  grammar  school  when  only  fifteen 
years  of  age,  and  at  sixteen  he  became  a  public  school 
teacher.  At  nineteen  he  entered  the  Junior  Class  at  Rutgers 
College,  graduating  in  1851.  He  afterward  had  charge,  first 
of  a  classical  school ;  then  of  all  the  schools  in  Somerville ; 
then  of  a  classical  school  in  Flemington,  and  afterward 
was  teacher  of  natural  sciences  in  the  Trenton  Academy. 

For   three  years   he   was   the   agent   of   the   New   Jersey 
State    Teachers'    Association,    holding    teachers'    institutes 


and  lecturing  on  education.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  movement  to  establish  public  libraries  throughout  the 
state.  In  his  travels  he  advocated  the  establishment  of  a 
normal  school  for  the  training  of  teachers.  He  entered 
the  Theological  Seminary  in  1855,  and  graduated  in   1858. 

The  knowledge  of  men  and  affairs  thus  obtained  facili- 
tated his  subsequent  work  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel. 
It  qualified  him  also  for  services  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  and  as  an  explorer  for  the  Board  of 
Domestic  Missions,  by  which  he  was  sent  out  to  select 
suitable  locations  for  churches  in  the  West.  Declining  to 
receive  even  his  traveling  expenses,  he  offered  himself  to 
undertake  the  work  at  Omaha,  where  the  terminus  of  the 
Pacific  Railroad  had  just  been  fixed;  but  more  conservative 
counsels  prevailed. 

It  was  his  custom  in  the  earlier  part  of  his  ministry  to 
give  the  morning  to  his  study,  the  afternoon  to  his  parish, 
and  the  evening  to  his  family.  Careful  economy  of  time 
enabled  him  to  pursue  also  his  favorite  literary  studies,  of 
which  the  Church  reaped  the  benefit  when  it  made  him 
chairman  of  the  Committee  to  provide  Hymn  Books  for 
public  and  social  worship.  He  was  also  a  member  of  one 
of  the  former  committees  on  the  revision  of  the  Liturgy, 
and  one  of  the  preachers  of  the  series  of  Centennial  Dis- 
courses in  1876.  In  this  discourse  he  demonstrated  the 
raise  n  d'etre  of  the  Church  of  his  fathers.  He  empha- 
sized its  importance  as  a  Church  with  a  voluntary  Liturgy, 
and  with  Doctrinal  Standards  whose  keynote  was  Union 
with  Christ. 

After  about  a  dozen  years  of  service  in  three  successive 
charges,  namely,  seven  years  at  Metuchen,  three  years  at 
Tarrytown,  and  three  years  at  Saugerties,  he  went  to 
Europe,  and  there  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  recently  or- 
ganized Chiesa  Libera  Italiana,  or  The  Evangelical  Church 
of  Italy,  of  which  the  famous  orator,  Alessandro  Gavazzi, 
was  the  principal  evangelist.  With  him  he  twice  made  the 
tour  of  the  American  churches,  north,  south,  east  and 
west.  Their  efforts  during  two  summer  vacations  secured 
for  the  work   in   Italy  $50,000. 

Retiming  to  America,  he  accepted  the  call  to  the  Church 
of   Teekskill  in  1873.     Finding  the  nearby  church  of  Cort- 


landtown,  or  Montrose,  on  the  point  of  extinction,  he  took 
the  pastoral  charge  of  that  also,  and  did  not  forsake  it 
until  he  had  secured  for  it  a  pastor  and  provided  for  his 
salary. 

In  1874  he  was  invited  by  the  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions to  become  a  theological  professor  in  Japan,  but  he 
declined  the  offer.  He  then  accepted  the  call  to  Catskill, 
where  his  longest  and  most  effective  work  was  done.  Here 
he  remained  for  ten  years.  This  charge  he  resigned  to 
accept  that  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  adjoining  the 
grounds  of  the  University  of  California,  at  Berkeley  in 
that  State.  The  church  was  then  small  and  feeble,  and  the 
proffered  salary  much  less  than  that  to  which  he  had  been 
accustomed;  but  the  opportunity  for  usefulness  seemed 
wider,  and  was  heartily  embraced.  And  he  did  not  disap- 
point the  expectation.  While  serving  this  Berkeley  church 
he  also  became  editor  of  The  Occident,  the  Presbyterian 
paper  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  also  served  as  a  professor 
in  the  Theological  Seminary  of  San  Francisco. 

Again  overworked,  another  season  of  rest  from  intel- 
lectual labor  was  imperatively  ordered  by  physicians.  He 
again  visited  Italy.  A  year  later  he  returned  to  California 
and  spent  a  year  in  laying  out  and  establishing  the  "Pres- 
byterian Summer  Resort,"  called  "Inverness,"  he  giving 
this  place  its  name. 

His  health  being  now  restored,  he  came  back  to  his 
native  New  Jersey,  and  supplied,  in  succession,  three  of ' 
the  churches  of  Trenton  during  the  years  1890  and  1891, 
when  he  took  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  newly  established 
church  of  Highland  Park,  across  the  Raritan  from  New 
Brunswick,  where  he  spent  five  years  of  pastoral  work,  his 
final  pastoral  charge,  resigning  there  in  i€>g6. 

He  then  removed  to  Trenton  and  devoted  himself  to 
literary  and  historical  pursuits.  Making  original  re- 
searches there  in  the  archives  of  the  State  he  rescued  not" 
a  few  important  facts  from  oblivion  which  were  worked  up 
in  magazine   articles  by  himself  or  others. 

His  publications  have  been  numerous  in  the  shape  of 
addresses,  sermons,  magazine  articles,  chiefly  in  the  re- 
ligious press.  A  list  of  them  down  to  1902  may  be  seen 
in  the  Manual  of  the  Reformed  Church.  The  Hymn 
Books   which   he   issued   in   connection  with   Rev.   Drs.   A. 


G.  Vermilye  and  Alexander  R.  Thompson  have  had  an  un- 
usually large  circulation,  and  are  yet  in  demand  after 
more  than  thirty  years.  His  Discourse  in  the  volume 
styled  "Centennial  Discourses,"  1*876,  entitled  "The  Im- 
movable Attachment  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  America 
to  its  own  Heirlooms  of  Faith  and  Order,"  with  its  copious 

notes,  was  a  masterpiece  of  information  and  interest,  and 
is  a  standard  on  its  subject.  He  was  also  a  voluminous 
writer  in  his  prime,  not  only  in  his  own  Church  paper,  The 
Christian  Intelligencer,  but  also  in  The  Sower,  The  Ad- 
vance, The  Interior,  The  Christian  Union,  The  Christian 
at  Work,  The  New  York  Observer,  The  New  York  Evan- 
gelist, The  Presbyterian,  The  Sunday  School  Times,  etc. 

His  pamphlet  on  "The  Evolution  of  the  American  Col- 
lege, 1894,"  is  especially  valuable.  He  spent  about  a  year 
in  its  preparation.  His  article  styled  "The  Middle  of  the 
Century" — the  nineteenth  century,  in  Dr.  David  Murray's 
"History  of  Education  in  New  Jersey,"  1899,  is  a  masterly 
and  exhaustive  article  on  the  development  of  the  educa- 
tional system  in  our  State.  His  articles  in  papers  and 
magazines   would  be  numbered  by  hundreds. 

Said  Dr.  David  Cole  concerning  Dr.  Thompson  at  the 
bi-centennial  of  the  Tarrytown  Church :  "He  was  grad- 
uated in  succession  from  both  our  New  Brunswick  insti- 
tutions and  was  licensed  to  our  ministry  in  1858^  having 
done  grand  service  for  almost  a  decade  before  he  began 
his  seminary  course  in  teaching  and  in  general  educational 
work  in  New  Jersey.  Coming  of  a  sturdy  stock,  he  enjoys 
the  sound  mind  in  the  sound  body.  And  having  received 
the  best  instructional  advantages,  he  represents  the  mind 
of  naturally  quick  and  keen  perceptive  power,  cultured 
and  refined  through  direct  study,  and  through  years  of  in- 
tercourse with  leading  scholars  both  at  home  and  abroad, 
and  capable  of  and  delighting  in  the  closest  analytical 
thinking.  He  has  held  several  of  our  own  pulpits.  He 
is  distinguished  as  a  minutely  accurate  scholar,  an  active 
and  voluminous  author,  and  one  of  the  foremost  men  in 
our   Reformed  Church  ministry." 


THE   FUNERAL. 

The  funeral  took  place  on  Saturday,  September  7th,  in 
the  Readington  Church.  The  pastor,  Rev.  B.  V.  D. 
Wyckoff,  conducted  the  funeral  services,  giving  a  very  ex- 
cellent account  of  the  general  activities  of  Dr.  Thompson 
through  his  long  ministry  of  forty-nine  years.  Rev.  Dr. 
Corwin  followed  in  an  address,  referring  to  their  long- 
continued  friendship  and  some  of  the  scholarly  habits  of 
Dr.  Thompson;  of  the  Hymn  Book  he  had  prepared  in 
connection  with  others,  and  which  had  been  so  largely  cir- 
culated in  the  Church.  A  number  of  clergymen  were 
present.  Rev.  Dr.  Lefevre  conducted  the  devotional  ex- 
ercises, and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wilson  Phraner  peformed  the 
committal  service. 

TRIBUTE  OF  THE  CHURCH   OF   CATSKILL,   N.    Y. 

The  late  Rev.  John  Bodine  Thompson,  D.D.,  was  pastor 
of  the  Catskill  Reformed  Church  from  1874  to  1884.  During 
that  period  he  endeared  himself  to  the  church  and  the 
community  by  his  sturdy  Christian  character  and  his  in- 
tegrity both  as  man  and  as  minister.  His  ability  as  a 
scholar,  and  especially  his  success  as  a  teacher  of  Biblical 
truth,  are  unsurpassed  in  the  history  of  this  church. 

In  after  years,  it  was  here  that  he  loved  to  come  when 
seeking  rest  and  recreation  in  the  vacation  season.  There 
are  many  in  Catskill  with  whom  his  acquaintance  and 
friendship  were  continued  until  the  last.  His  interest  in 
this  church  and  his  many  kindnesses  to  her  ministers  and 
members,  long  after  he  had  ceased  to  be  officially  con- 
nected with  the  organization,  have  made  his  memory  here 
doubly  blessed.  While  we  mourn  with  Dr.  Thompson's 
family  in  their  deep  affliction,  yet  we  wish  hereby  to  record 
our  gratitude  to  God  for  the  benefits  we  have  received 
through  His  servant.  It  is  our  prayer  that  his  example 
of  noble  and  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christ 
may  remain  with  us  in  the  hallowed  memory  of  our  friend 
and  former  pastor. 

Be  it  resolved  that  this  expression  of  our  love  and  af- 
fection for  Dr.  Thompson  be  published  in  The  Christian 
Intelligencer  and  recorded  on  the  minutes  of  Consistory; 
and  that  a  copy  be  sent  to  his  family. 


(Signed)  William  Van  Orden,  John  D.  Ahreet,  Amadee 
Raynor,  Charles  H.  Van  Orden,  Charles  Ernst,  William 
Palmatier,  Thomas  Bell,  John  Fiero,  W.  Irving  Jen- 
nings, George  C.  Fox,  Joseph  Malcolm,  Frederick  A. 
Stahl,  Irving  H.  Berg. 
Catskill,   N.   Y.,   September   10,   1907. 


An  Appreciation 

BY   THE   REV.    JOHN   BR0WNLEE  V00RHEES 

THE  Intelligencer  of  September  nth  contained  a  brief 
notice  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Thompson  on  September 
4th.  The  writer  is  not  competent  to  pay  a  worthy  tribute 
to  his  life  and  character,  his  services  to  learning  and 
scholarship,  but  out  of  a  great  indebtedness  for  favors 
which  cannot  be  repaid  he  extends  this  appreciation. 

To  have  known  Dr.  Thompson  was  to  have  had  acquaint- 
ance with  one  who  before  all  else  was  a  great  scholar,  a 
great  Christian  scholar.  Truth  was  a  consuming  passion. 
With  Pascal  he  held,  "The  first  of  all  Christian  truths  is 
that  truth  shall  be  loved  above  all."  Never  at  truth's  shrine 
knelt  a  more  devoted  disciple,  "strong  in  will  to  strive,  to 
seek,  to  find."  The  foundations  of  his  learning  were  laid 
in  a  generation  uncursed  by  the  mania  of  specialization. 
Hence  his  scholarship  had  the  note  of  catholicity,  and  his 
preaching  an  opulent  fullness  like  the  flow  of  the  full- 
banked  stream.  His  sermons  never  trickled,  for  the  river 
"was  fed  from  many  springs.  Philosophy,  history,  litera- 
ture, science,  all  were  drawn  upon,  and  from  their  depths. 
To  him  there  were  no  closed  rooms  in  the  temple  of  wis- 
dom. He  knocked  at  every  door,  and  each  door  opened  at 
his  touch.  Nature  endowed  him  richly  for  the  student  life. 
A  single  reading  of  a  book  threshed  the  grain  from  the 
chaff  and  what  was  good  was  stored  in  a  marvelous  mem- 
ory, to  be  drawn  upon  at  need. 

His  scholarship  also  had  the  note  of  originality.  Of  how 
few  men  can  it  truthfully  be  said,  "they  do  their  own  think- 
ing"? Most  prefer  their  thought  in  predigested  form — war- 
ranted not  to  injure  the  most  delicate  constitution.  But  Dr. 
Thompson's  philosophy  and  theology  bore  no  trade-mark. 


They  were  his  own,  forged  by  his  own  hand  and  beaten 
into  shape  on  his  own  mental  anvil.  He  accepted,  for  ex- 
ample, the  theory  of  evolution  at  a  time  when  most  theolo- 
gians had  for  it  only  fear  and  detestation.  He  thought 
through  the  problems  it  presented  and  rejoiced  in  the  con- 
tributions which  it  made  to  our  knowledge  of  God's  work- 
ings. It  made  for  a  larger  faith,  that  while  "earth  changes, 
the  soul  and  God  stand  sure." 

From  his  originality  came  that  most  beautiful  and  in- 
spiring characteristic  of  his  thinking;  it  ever  faced  the 
future.  Few  possessed  his  knowledge  of  the  past,  none 
were  less  wedded  to  the  past.  Few  appreciated  more  high- 
ly the  contributions  of  the  past,  none  believed  more  pro- 
foundly in  the  contributions  of  the  future.  He  did  not 
despise  the  ancient  land-marks,  but  he  did  not  forget  that 
ancient  land-marks  stand  only  for  the  circumscribed  'and 
already  surveyed.  His  reverence  for  the  past  is  indicated 
by  his  centennial  discourse,  "The  Attachment  of  the  Re- 
formed Church  to  its  Own  Heirlooms  of  Faith  and  Order" ; 
his  confidence  in  the  future  is  revealed  by  his  address  be- 
fore the  New  York  Ministerial  Association  on  "Progress  in 
Theology."  But  this  facing  of  the  future  was  not  an  intel- 
lectual characteristic  only;  everything  which  stood  for 
I  progress  had  his  sympathy.  No  forward  movement  ever 
failed  to  enlist  his  enthusiastic  support. 

It    is   possible,    however,    for    scholarship    to    degenerate 

into  scholasticism;   and  learning  in  theology  does  not  al- 

J  ways  imply  depth  of  spiritual  life.     But  those  who  were 

privileged  to  have  Dr.  Thompson  as  their  preacher  soon 

I  learned  that  he  drew  water  from  the  deep  wells  of  a  per- 

J  sonal  experience  in  the  things  of  faith.     Side  by  side  with 

the  vast  learning  was  a  rich  vein  of  mysticism,  qualifying 

'  him  to  interpret  the  life  of  the  spirit  as  they  only  are  able 

who  can  say,  "I  have  felt."     It  was  characteristic  that  his 

..  last   sermon  before  the  General   Synod  should  be  on  the 

work  of  the  spirit,  "The  Other  Paraclete."    And  those  who 

J  heard  knew  not  which  to  admire  the  more,  the  philosophic 

]  grasp  of  the  first  part  of  the  discourse,  or  the  devotional 

character  of  the  latter. 

Dr.  Thompson's  was  a  strong  personality,  intense  in  its 
likes  and  dislikes.     He  had  sympathy  with  all  earnest  en- 


deavor,  however  simple  and  humble.  Those  who  tried  and 
those  who  needed  ever  found  a  friend  in  him.  But  for 
all  self-seeking  and  pretense  he  had  an  unmasked  contempt*. 
Shallowness  of  every  sort  he  loathed,  in  particular  super- 
ficiality of  scholarship.  Not  many  knew  him  on  terms  of 
personal  intimacy,  for  his  heart  was  not  on  his  sleeve  *and 
the  latch  string  did  not  hang  out  for  every  passer-by.  But 
the  few  to  whom  the  door  was  opened  were  rich  in  a  friend- 
ship of  a  great  mind  and  a  great  heart.  And  their  present 
sorrow  is  the  measure  of  the  greatness  of  their  loss. 
1 1 76   Woody  Crest  avenue,   New  York  City. 


above,'* 

Seemd  to  uphold  "  Church  Militant  M  with  pure  bands 

of  love  ! 
Men  say,  from  "Natural  causes*9  we  view  th'  ethereal 

sight  : 
Christians  know,  at  God's  command  th'  electric  sparks 

ignite : 
Like — as  when  the  " Holy  Child"  in  "Bethlehem" 

was  born — 
"  A  Star  before  wise  men  went,"  of  an  ^common  form : 
"  It  "  seem'd  a  brilliant  "  Meteor  "  coursing  through 

the  air, 
Sent  by  the  Great  Creator  : — Philosophers  !  beware — 

"  The  Great  Meteor,"  of  Tuesday  Nov.  12th  1861,  was  seen  as 
described  by  the  Spectator — over  the  trees  in  the  N.E.  close  to 
the  Honse,  called,  Mylor  Vicarage,  Cornwall. 

One  spectator,  counted  "  seven  stars  "  in  a  Vine,  on  the  back  of 
the  cone. 

"  It  is  supposed  to  have  fallen  from  the  head  of  the  Constellation 
Draco:1 


1H 


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